Refrigerator car construction



Dec. 15, 1942. -c. E. C REDE REFRIGERATOR CAR CONSTRUCTION Filed March 25, 1940 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Y Inventor.- C/wrles Efirede Patented Dec. 15, 1942 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE REFRIGERATOR CAR CONSTRUCTION Charles E. Crede, Chicago, Ill., assignor to Standard Railway Equipment Manufacturing Company, Chicago, 11]., a corporation of Delaware Application March 23, 1940, Serial No. 325,536

'claimed in Bonsall Patent No. 2,136,999, of No- 16 Claims.

The invention relates to railway rolling stock and more particularly to so-called refrigerator cars which are used to transport perishable commodities, such as vegetables, fruits, berries, frozen foods and fish. Such commodities must be maintained at a substantially even temperature to avoid decay. Heat or refrigeration is applied to the commodity while in transit depending upon the weather. Certain commodities (such as potatoes and oranges) generate heat and gases which must be removed by ventilation. A railway car, therefore, to haul perishable commodities must be arranged to cool, heat or ventilate the commodity while in the car. This applies, of course, if the car is running or standing still.

Various fruits, such as oranges, lemons and grapefruit from California and Florida, apples from Washington and Oregon, and various vegetables from such states as California, Colorado, Illinois and Georgia are loaded into the refrigerator cars and shipped; i. e., the cars actually start moving with destination unknown and without any consignee. To facilitate selling the commodity while enroute, grades for quality have been established. Units for volume have also been established by adoption of a standard size box for each fruit and the size of the fruit is designated by the number of that fruit in the box (which is stencilled on each box) the number of such boxes which can be loaded in a standard size refrigerator car is a unit. To be more specific, the inside dimensions of a conventional end bunker refrigerator car are approximately 40 feet long, 8' 3" wide and 7 feet high, and an ice bunker is positioned at each end of the car so that the loading space between the bunkers is about 33 feet. Such a car will hold and refrigerate 462 boxes of oranges or 420 boxes of lemons from California and such number of boxes constitutes a unit of the specific fruit of a known grade and size.

When the owner (usually through a cooperative association) sells his fruit, the shipment is diverted while enroute to the purchaser. It requires approximately seven days to transport fruit from California to Chicago; ten days to New York and twelve days to Boston; this system allows the owner to take advantage of changing market conditions. If the commodity is not sold enroute it is consigned to one of the several perishable commodity auction markets in the larger cities where it is sold before it becomes unusable.

A new type of refrigerator car has been developed by my assignee which is described and vember 15, 1938, wherein the refrigerant containers are positioned adjacent the ceiling of the car with drip pans spaced therebelow. Air in the space below the refrigerant containers, be-

ing cooled by the refrigerant in the containers (preferably ice or ice and salt), flows through vertical fiues into a space below a foraminous secondary flooring below the lading and coming into contact with the lading, is warmed thereby and rises to the space below the refrigerant container, where it is cooled by contact with the refrigerant and repeats the cycle. This is called lateral or crosswise air circulation.

The Bonsall improved refrigerator car eliminates the necessity of the end ice bunkers, thus increasing the available lading space from 33 feet to 40 feet without increasing the train length or overall length of the car. Furthermore, in the conventional end bunker car, hereinbefore described, it is usually necessary to leave at least two feet between the top of the lading and the ceiling of the car for the warmed air to return to the end bunkers, whereas in Bonsalls top bunker car the lading can be loaded up to the ceiling, thus materially increasing the volume and weight of the lading without decreasing the efficiency of the refrigeration of the lading (in fact, tests show better refrigeration). Again to be specific: The conventional forty foot end bunker car holds 462 boxes of oranges (which is a unit for that particular fruit), Whereas a Bonsall top bunker car was actually loaded and shipped with 840' boxes of oranges, or one and eight-tenths units. The sizes and weights of the boxes are commercially recognized standards.

One of the objects of the invention is to provide a refrigerator car that will hold and refrigerate more than an established unit of lading and which shall include means to segregate one unit from the remainder of the load so that said unit may be loaded and unloaded without disturbing the remainder of the load. The said remainder may be another unit.

Another object is to provide a refrigerator car with a partition so as to divide the car into a pair of compartments and to provide access to each compartment through doorways positioned at the corners of the car or somewhat distant from the corners but relatively remote from the center of the car. The advantages of such an arrangement are that the compartments can be loaded simultaneously from either the same side of the car or from opposite sides; in either case, the men loading one compartment may work free from interference from the men loading the opposite compartment.

The modern steel sheathed refrigerator car has to a great extent superseded the Wood sheathed car wherein the framework of the car, either wood or steel, was comprised of trusses embedded within the walls. In the steel sheathed car, the walls function somewhat as girders and the thrusts upon the end walls are transferred to the side walls, not only to the side plate and side sill, but also distributed over the sheathing between the plate and sill. A doorway in a side wall near a corner of the car inherently prevents transfer of end wall thrusts to the side sheathing. It is an object of my invention to overcome this deficiency by providing means by which the door or doors transmit end wall thrusts to the side sheathing.

Commodities hauled in refrigerator cars usually must be carefully handled. Fruits, for example, bruise easily and must be securely braced when loaded to prevent the service movements of the car causing the lading to shift. A conventional end bunker refrigerator car has doorways at the centers of the side walls. A common method of loading fruit in such a car is to place the crates in the car, working from the ends of the car toward the center. When the car is thus filled except for a relatively small space at the doorways, a squeezer is inserted in this space and the crates are pushed toward the end walls of the car. In other words, the crates in each end of the car serve as a backing for the squeezer to compress the crates in the opposite end. Finally, either temporary bulkheads are installed to retain the crates in this position or the enlarged space thus created is filled with additional crates of fruit. It is another object of my invention to position each doorway with one edge thereof substantially flush with the end wall lining, the car being provided with a partition as hereinabove described. The advantages of such an arrangement are two-fold; first, the squeezer may be inserted between the crates and the end wall of the car, thereby providing a more secure backing and second, fewer temporary bulkheads are required to brace the lading.

Another object of the invention is to provide in a car having doorways near the end walls of the car a door post adjacent but not rigidly attached to the corner post of the car. The corner post is the structural member to which the end wall is attached and consequently deflections of the end wall caused by a shifting lading deflect the corner post. The provision of a separate door post prevents the deflection thereof and assures the maintenance of a good seal between the door and the door posts.

Other objects and advantages of my invention will be apparent from the following detailed description by referring to the accompanying drawings.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a partial side elevation of a refrigerator car showing one embodiment of my invention.

Fig. 2 is a plan section through the structure shown in Fig. 1 as indicated by the line 2-2.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged view of a portion of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a section on line 4-4 of Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is a section on line 5--5 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 6 is a section on line 6-6 of Fig. 3.

Fig. 7 is a detail view of a portion of one of the hinges shown in Figs. 1 and 2.

Figs. 8 and 9 are views similar to a portion of Fig .1 showing modified constructions.

Fig. 10 is a view showing a non-automatic embodiment of my invention.

Fig. 11 is a diagrammatic plan section of a refrigerator car showing the positions of the doorways of a car to which my invention is applicable.

The diagram of Fig. 11 shows a plan section of a refrigerator car having spaced apart side walls 2 and spaced apart end walls 3. A partition 5 extends between the side walls 2 and may be either in a fixed position or movable lengthwise of the car so as to divide the interior of the car into a pair of compartments 6 which may be of either fixed sizes or adjustable sizes depending upon whether the partition 5 is fixed or movable. Two doorways 8 are provided in each side wall of the car, each doorway being adjacent an end wall 3 of the car. My invention particularly concerns the structure at doorways positioned as shown in Fig. 11.

In the car shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the side plate I2 and side sill I3 form the upper and lower chords, respectively, of a side wall 2. A corner post I6 extends between and is secured to the side plate I2 and side sill I3, and is securedto the outer sheathing I4 of the end wall 3 and side wall 2 of the car. Any type of corner post I6 and end wall 3 may be used, but a preferable construction embodies the use of a hollow section post, as shown in the patent to Jumper et al., No. 2,185,168, issued December 26, 1939.

Spaced apart door posts I9, 20 preferably extend between and are secured to the side plate I2 and side sill I3, one of the door posts I9 being adjacent the corner post I6 so as to provide a doorway close to the end wall 3 of the car. The advantages of a doorway so positioned are disclosed in co-pending application No. 319,404, filed February 17, 1940, by Garth G. Gilpin. Any type of standard refrigerator car door may be used to close the doorway defined by spaced apart posts I9, 20. The end wall lining I5 is preferably slidably engaged with the part I! of the door post I9.

The service movements of a railway car frequently cause the lading to be shifted against the end wall 3 of the car with a severe impact. End walls are commonly made relatively resilient and consequently deflect under this impact, thereby preventing a certain amount of damage to the lading. When the end walls thus deflect, there is a tendency for the corner posts I6 to deflect outwardly in the plane of the side wall 2 and also a tendency, even more pronounced, to bow toward each other. By attaching the door posts I9, 20 to the side plate I2 and side sill I3 independently of the corner posts I6, I provide a construction in which the door posts I9, 20 always remain substantially straight regardless of the deflection of the corner posts I6. This is important because a resilient padding 22 is inserted between the door posts I9, 20 and the edges of the door 23, which padding 22 is normally tightly compressed to prevent the flow of heat into or out of the car. A straight door post, therefore, aids in retaining the padding 22 thus tightly compressed. .As shown in Figs. 2 and 5, there is a non-rigid connecting member 26 secured to both the corner post I6 and the door post I9. This connecting member 26 may be light gauge metal, rubber or other resilient material and is preferably provided with a small corrugation 21 to permit the door post l3 and corner post I 6 to move relative to each other without restriction.

A plurality of hinge butts 30 are secured to the comer post I 6 and the hinge straps 3| are secured to the door 23. The hinge straps 3| have portions 33 which extend beyond the edge 34 of the door 23 and span the door post IS without any connection thereto. Some of the hinge straps, as for example, the center one 36, as shown in Fig. 1, may be provided with an extension bar 31. The extension bar 31 preferably has a fixed part 39 rigidly secured to the door 23 and to the hinge strap 36 and a movable part 40 in slidable relation with the fixed part 39. The movable part 46 has a T-head 42 extending beyond the edge 43 of the door 23 and adapted to interlock with brackets 45 secured to the side wall 2 of the car. Means hereinafter described are provided for shortening the extension bar 31 when the door 23 is closed, thereby drawing the T-head 42 against the brackets 45 and providing a tie for transmitting thrust from the corner post l6 through the hinges and extension bar 31 to the side wall 2 of the car. This tie functions to prevent outward bowing of the corner posts I6.

The means for opening and closing the door 23 is preferably the conventional cam operated means commonly used on refrigerator cars. Such an operating means is shown in OConnor Patent No. 1,345,394 of July 6, 1920.

The extension bar 31 is preferably a channelshaped member, the fixed part 39 being larger than the movable part 40 so that the latter is slidable in the former. Slots are provided in the flanges 41, 48 of both channel members, the slots being positioned so that the vertical movement of a tapered key 50 therethrough either lengthens or shortens the extension bar 31. In the modification shown, the key 50 is convergent upwardly so that an upward movement thereof brings the slots in the flanges 41, 48 into alignment and thereby shortens the extension bar 31. Cams 52, 53 are provided on the operating rod 55 to impart upward and downward movement to the key 50, one cam 52 being above and one cam 53 being below the key 50. The cams 52, 53 and key 50 are arranged so that when the operating rod 55 is positioned to release the door 23, the key 50 is in its lowermost position and when the operating rod 55 is rotated so as to lock the door 23 as shown in Fig. 1, the key 50 is moved to its uppermost position and the corner post l6 and side wall 2 are tied together by the shortened extension bar 31. The turning of the operating rod 55 to the unlocked or released position forces the key 50 downwardly, lengthens the extension bar 31 and frees the T-head 42, thereby permitting the swinging movement of the door 23. The type of cam 52, 53 shown in the drawings comprises a surface 51 concentric with the operating rod 55, which surface varies smoothly between the upper and lowerlimits of travel of the key 50 for a half revolution of the operating rod 55.

Fig. 7 is a detail view of one of the hinge butts 30. The eye of the hinge butt 30 is a slot 58 extending laterally so that an inward deflection of the corner post 16 is possible without pulling with it the hinge strap 3|. The lateral slot 58 is preferably inclined somewhat, as shown in Fig. 7, to prevent binding between the hinge butt and the hinge strap when the corner posts l6 bow toward each other.

Fig. 8 shows a modification of my invention wherein two doors 6|, 62 are used to close the doorway instead of a single door as shown in Figs. 1 and 2. The left door 6| of Fig. 8 is substantially similar to the door 23 of Fig. 1. The right door 62 of Fig. 8, however, is hinged to the door post 20 which is remote from the corner post 16. The brackets 64, instead of being attached to the side wall 2 as in Fig. 1, are attached to the right door 62. The extension bar 31 and means for shortening and lengthening same are similar to those heretofore described. When the end wall of Fig. 8 receives the impact from within the car the corner post has a tendency to bow outwardly. The thrust due to such tendency is transmitted from the hinge butts 65 to the hinge straps 61 and thence to the extension bar 31. The T-head 42 of the extension bar 31 and the brackets 64 transmit the thrust to the right door 62 which is hinged to the side wall 2 by hinges 68, the hinges 68 transferring said thrust to the side wall 2.

In Fig. 9, the doorway is closed by a single door 10 which is hinged (1|) to the door post 20 rather than to the corner post l6, as shown in Fig. 1. The extension bar 31 provided is similar to that heretofore described and is secured to, the hinge straps 1.3 and to the door 10. The T- head 42 on the movable part 40 of the extension bar 31 interlocks with brackets 14 secured to the corner post l6 and means heretofore described are provided for lengthening and shortening the extension bar 31. In other words, the structure shown in Fig. 9 is the exact reverse of that shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 10 shows a means independent of the door operating means for transmitting thrust from the door 23 to the side wall 2 of the car. Such means may be substituted, if desired, for the extension bar 31 with the T-head 42, the brackets 45 and the cam operated key 50 of Fig. 1. The non-automatic attaching means shows in Fig. 10 comprises a C-shaped bracket 16 secured to the door 23 and extending beyond the edge 11 thereof, a bracket 19 secured to the side wall 2 of the car having a bolt inserted t'herethrough and a block 82 threaded on the bolt 80 and adapted to interlock with the C-shaped bracket 16. After the door 23 is closed, the bolt 80 may be tightened by a wrench or other available means so that any thrust upon the end wall is transmitted by hinges to the door 23. and thence by the mechanism of Fig. 10 to the side wall 2 of the car.

The accompanying drawings illustrate the preferred form of the invention, though it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the exact details of construction shown and described, as it is obvious that various modifications thereof, within the scope of the claims, will occur to persons skilled in the art.

I claim:

1. In a refrigerator car having an end wall and a side wall, said side wall having spaced apart door posts to form a doorway therebetween adjacent said end wall, and a door adapted to seat against said door posts to form a closure for said doorway. said end Wall being secured to said side wall independently of said door posts whereby deformation of said end Wall leavees the relation between said posts and said door unchanged.

2. In a refrigerator car having an end wall and a side wall, said side wall having spaced apart door posts to form a doorway therebetween adjacent said end Wall, a corner post adjacent one of said door posts having said end wall secured thereto, and means to transmit outwardly directed end wall thrusts to the part of the side wall oppositely of said doorway from said end wall.

3. In a refrigerator car having a side wall and an end wall, a corner post common to both of said walls at the intersection thereof, a doorway in said side wall included between spaced apart door posts, one of said door posts being disposed adjacent said corner post, but not rigidly attached thereto, a door forming a closure for said doorway, and hinge means mounting said door upon said corner post.

4. In a refrigerator car having a side wall and an end wall, a corner post common to both of said walls at the intersection thereof, a doorway in said side wall included between spaced apart door posts, one of said door posts being disposed adjacent said corner post but not rigidly attached thereto, a door forming a closure for said doorway, hinge means mounting said door upon said corner post, and means to secure said door when in closed position to said side wall.

5. In a refrigerator car having a side wall and an end wall, a corner post common to both of said walls at the intersection thereof, a doorway in said side wall included between spaced apart door posts, one of said door posts being disposed adjacent said corner post but not rigidly attached thereto, a pair of doors forming a closure for said doorway, hinge means mounting one of said doors upon said corner post, hinge means mounting the other of said doors upon the other of said door posts, and means to secure one of said doors, when in closed position, to the other of said doors.

6. In a refrigerator car having a side wall and an end wall, a corner post common to both of said walls at the intersection thereof, a doorway in said side wall included between spaced apart door posts, one of said door posts being disposed adjacent said corner post but not rigidly attached thereto, a door forming a closure for said doorway, hinge means mounting said door upon the other of said door posts, and means to secure said door, when in closed position, to said corner post.

'7. In a refrigerator car having a side wall and an end wall, a corner post common to both of said walls at the intersection thereof, a doorway in said side wall included between spaced apart door posts, one of said door posts being disposed adjacent said corner post but not rigidly attached thereto, a door forming a closure for said doorway, and hinge means mounting said door upon said corner post, comprising hinge butts secured to said corner post, and hinge straps secured to said door and spanning said adjacent door post.

8. In a refrigerator car having a side wall and an end wall, a corner post common to both of said walls at the intersection thereof, a doorway in said side wall included between spaced apart door posts, one of said door posts being disposed adjacent said corner post but not rigidly attached thereto, a door forming a closure for said doorway, and hinge means mounting said door upon said corner post comprising hinge butts secured to said corner post, and hinge straps secured to said door and spanning said adjacent door post, said hinge butts having laterally elongated holes.

9. In a refrigerator car having a side wall and an end wall, a corner post common to both of said walls at the intersection thereof, a doorway in said side wall included between spaced apart door posts, one of said door posts being disposed I adjacent said corner post but not rigidly attached thereto, a door forming a closure for said doorway, operating means arranged to open and close said door, hinge means mounting said door upon said corner post, and means operable by said operating means to secure said door, when in closed position, to the other of said door posts.

10. In a refrigerator car having a side wall and an end wall, a corner post common to both of said walls at the intersection thereof, a doorway in said side wall included between spaced apart door posts, one of said door posts being disposed adjacent said corner post but not rigidly attached thereto, a door forming a closure for said doorway, operating means arranged to open and close said door, hinge means mounting said door upon the other of said door posts, and means operable by said operating means to secure said door, when in closed position, to said corner post.

11. In a refrigerator car, a side wall having a side plate and side sill, a corner post extending between and secured to said plate and said sill, an end wall attached to said corner post, a door post also extending between and secured to said plate and said sill adjacent said corner post but not rigidly attached thereto, a second door post in spaced relation to the first mentioned door post to form a doorway therebetween, a, door forming a closure for said doorway, hinge means mounting said door upon said corner post, a bar having one end secured to said door, means to releasably secure the other end of said bar to a part of the side wall oppositely of the doorway from the first mentioned post, said last mentioned means comprising a T-head on said other end of the bar adapted to engage in a pocket secured to said side wall when the door is closed.

12. In a refrigerator car, a side wall having a side plate and side sill, a corner post extending between and secured to said plate and said sill, an end wall attached to said corner post, a door post also extending between and secured to said plate and said sill adjacent said corner post but not rigidly attached thereto, a second door post in spaced relation to the first mentioned door post to form a doorway therebetween, a door forming a closure for said doorway, operating means to open and close said door, hinge means mounting said door upon said corner post, a bar having one end secured to said door, means respondent to 'a decrease in the length of the bar to secure the other end of the bar to said side wall adjacent said second mentioned door post, and means operated by said operating means to decrease the length of said bar upon closing of said door.

13. In a railway car, a corner post, an end Wall secured to said corner post, door posts which define a doorway in a side wall adjacent said corner post, a door for closing said doorway, and hinge means for mounting said door upon said corner post, said hinge means being arranged to permit the corner post to deflect inwardly of the car independently of the door and door posts.

14. In a railway car wall, spaced apart fram ing elements which define a doorway, a member adjacent one of said elements adapted to receive a substantially horizontal thrust acting in a direction generally parallel with said wall and away from said doorway, a door engageable with said elements for closing said doorway, hinge means arranged to mount said door upon said member, and means to operatively connect said door to the wall oppositely of the doorway from said hinge means to transmit said thrust from said member to the wall.

15. In a railway car wall, spaced apart framing elements which define a doorway, a member adjacent one of said elements adapted to receive a substantially horizonta1 thrust action in a direction generally parallel with said wall and away from said doorway, a door engageable with said elements for closing said doorway, and thrust transmitting means associated with said door free of said framing elements for operatively connecting said member to other parts of said wall.

16. In a railway car wall, spaced apart framl0 ing elements which define a doorway, a member adjacent one of said elements adapted to receive a substantially horizontal thrust action in a direction generally parallel with said wall and away from said doorway, a door engageable with said elements for closing said doorway, and thrust transmitting means spanning said doorway for operativ'ely connecting said member to other parts of said wall.

CHARLES E. CREDE. 

